1 Corinthians 16:19-24·~1 min
Signature and Final Greetings
The churches of Asia and the brothers with Paul send their greetings, and the Corinthians are told to greet one another with a holy kiss. Paul then writes with his own hand, speaks a curse over anyone who does not love the Lord, cries out for the Lord to come, and closes with grace from the Lord Jesus and his own love for them all in Christ Jesus.
T19he churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. 20All the brothers here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss. 21This greeting is in my own hand — Paul. 22If anyone does not love the Lord, let him be under a curse. Come, O Lord! 23The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. 24My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus.
Section summaryThe letter ends with greetings from the churches of Asia and the brothers nearby, and then shifts into Paul's own hand. The closing is warm but not soft: grace and love frame it, yet a curse falls on those who do not love the Lord, and the cry for the Lord to come stands near the end.
Role in the chapterThis last section gives the letter its personal and ecclesial closure. It leaves Corinth surrounded by the wider church, under Paul's affection, and before the nearness of the Lord.